Visual schedules can help support children who are: These schedules can be used with an entire class or group of children without singling out a specific child. Whether you have a child with special needs or a child who is struggling with transitions, visual schedules can help all children follow the routine when they need extra support. Visual schedules combine a predictable routine with clear expectations to allow for more success, celebration, and connection.Ĩ || Visual schedules can support all kids. You will see fewer challenging behaviors when children understand the routine.Ī critical component of an environment that decreases the likelihood of challenging behaviors is providing routines. When children know the plan and can predict what is going to happen, they are much more likely to cooperate. Visual schedules can be used in a way to help kids feel more empowered – by allowing them to arrange the cards in a preferred sequence – but ultimately, the adults are still in control of selecting which tasks will be performed.ħ || Visual schedules help reduce power struggles. Unlike with verbal instructions, where kids can try to negotiate and avoid the task, a visual schedule is already set up to show the plan and expectation. And look, when you are done with that, it’s your favorite… story time!” “I know you don’t want to brush your teeth, but the schedule says it’s time to brush teeth. In the midst of a tough transition, a visual schedule can take the heat so the adult doesn’t have to. So when it’s time to move to a new activity, they are ready… even if it’s an activity they’re not thrilled about.Ħ || Visual schedules make expectations clear. They have time to process and plan for the upcoming transition. When a visual schedule is used, kids know what to expect before it happens. This is how kids feel when we ask them to transition from one activity to another unexpectedly and the result is often challenging behavior. Think about how you feel when your boss drops in and has you stop what you’re doing to go to a meeting you didn’t have on your calendar. Pictures give children more time to process the information and if they forget or get distracted, they can still be successful without adult reminders.ĥ || Pictures help kids transition more easily. Picture schedules give a static reminder of the current task and plan. If a child did not hear or understand the verbal instructions, they will likely continue what they were doing rather than following the direction. Verbal instructions are gone in a moment. Tasks that were once a source of dread become more exciting and kids are eager to participate.Ĥ || Pictures remind kids if they forget. The schedule is a working to-do list for the child or class. Cards are put on to create the schedule and removed as each task is completed. Children can touch, carry and arrange the activity cards. They use images of real children and have a great simple, clean design.ģ || Visual schedules help children engage, focus, and attend.Ĭhildren learn best with hands-on activities that get them moving. Check out the schedules from Schedule Power. Only have the activity that is expected in the picture. Helpful Hint: Children respond well to pictures of real faces, especially themselves or other children, rather than cartoons. The child understands each step and doesn’t have to do any guessing to interpret the adult’s instructions. Either way the child or class can see a clear beginning, middle and end. Schedules can reflect a mini-routine such as getting ready for bed or they can represent the full schedule of activities for the day. A visual schedule is like a kid-friendly version of the calendars and to-do lists we use as adults, only using pictures.Ģ || Visual schedules break steps down into pictures. And, as an added bonus, they give adults relief from repeating themselves again and again and they motivate kids into action! 10 Reasons to Use a Visual Schedule in Your Classroom or Homeġ || Visual schedules allow kids to understand the plan.Įveryone likes to know the plan, to be in control, and to check things off their list. Visual schedules are a simple, highly successful tool for communicating routines and expectations to children. When we ask kids to do something, we typically use verbal instructions…and, let’s be honest, we often talk quickly, say it from across the room, and don’t bother to ensure that we have the child’s full attention.Īnd then we wonder, Why aren’t they listening? Why aren’t they doing what I asked? In fact, a picture can replace a thousand words! This is the magic behind visual schedules. You’ve heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” When communicating with kids, it’s really true. Without further ado, here’s Brooke to talk about a powerful tool that we know, love, and use on a daily basis in our therapy practice – visual schedules!
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